Tiny Phoenix
by SapphireMarbles
Summary: "Mother taught me how destructive fire can be." Azula's daughter, Aya, vow to keep a promise that she will eliminate Fire Lord Zuko to bring back the throne and title to her mother. In order to do this, Aya takes the job as Izumi's bodyguard and hides her true intentions. Mix feelings emerge as Aya becomes attach to the family she never knew before.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

In this bright, serene morning I stroll around the flamboyant garden of the Fire Nation Palace. It has been nine months since I have resided here as one of Princess Izumi's bodyguards. As a bodyguard, it is my purpose to commit my life to protect the Fire Nation Princess, but this isn't my true intention from the start. My true intention is hidden deeply as well as the promise I kept to my mother. A promise to take back what was rightfully hers. I will not disappoint Mother even when my feelings interferes with my determination for this mission.

A Fire Nation General and two of his sons attract my attention. The general is currently training the young sons in fire bending. The way the father encourages and advices his sons to improve their fire bending reminds me of my fire bending training as a child. My thoughts lead me to think of Mother.

" _Your attacks lack so much! Do it again!" Mother yelled from across the backyard._

 _I continued to kick high in the air under the blazing, hot sun. Sweat poured down from my scalp to my face and lastly to my neck. Fire exerted out of the sole of my right foot with each flame growing bigger with each high kick. On my 10_ _th_ _kick, I lost balance and fell onto the hard ground._

 _The instant my bottom dropped onto the ground I immediately wept with tears all over my crimson, sweaty face._

 _Mother walked up to me from the entrance and with her arms crossed. Her gold eyes reflected irritation, disgusted._

" _When I say to do it again, I meant to do it correctly!" she roared._ _"If you're not excellent at fire bending then you're simply nothing."_

 _Tears proceeded to stream from my eyes at Mother's brutal words._

" _Stop crying! Don't ever show weakness," she snarled._

"Lady Aya," a maid brakes away my thoughts, "Princess Izumi is looking for you. She wants to talk about tonight's celebration."

I nod as a reply. Every little thing I do here in the palace leads me to accomplish my mission. To accomplish my promise.

* * *

I stare at myself in the mirror. Instead of armor, I am dressed in a fitting dance attire with my long hair down, than the usual pony tail, for tonight's celebration of Fire Lord Zuko's Birthday. Princess Izumi and the Fire Nation Queen insist that I would be a performer than a bodyguard for just one night. The Fire Nation Queen even remarked how "it would create a very optimistic aura" if I obey.

I pick up the hand fan on the dresser and examine the elegant chrysanthemums. I remember how I would always carry a hand fan as an accessory when dancing. It has been too long since I held a hand fan like this one and dressed as a dancer. I miss being a dancer although being a fire bender gives me a different path. My last dance performance was nine months ago when I agreed to this promise. Nine months have passed from the last time my parents have seen me. Nine months since I vowed to myself that I will not disappoint Mother. If Mother could see me right now, she would probably say this is an advantage by deceiving the people in the palace in order to reach our goal. Her goal.

I turn back to the mirror to stare at my own reflection. I look nothing like my mother, Azula. I carry more of my father's genes. I have his tan skin, pointy nose and high cheek bones. My gold eyes and plump lips are the only resemblances I receive from Mother. I remember her words the day before I arrived at the palace.

" _It's a good thing that you look like your father. The palace would have no idea you are my daughter."_

"Aya, it's almost time to begin the dance performance," Princess Izumi announces when she barges into my room.

"Oh, yes. I better get going then," I answer.

Yes, being a dancer today will further deceive the people in the Fire Nation Palace. Being a dancer as well being a bodyguard will trick the royal family, the family I never knew before. The family that does not know I share the same blood. The family I unexpectedly grown attach to. Hopefully, I will not deceive my determination for this promise. I will not disappoint Mother.

* * *

Blue flames strike out of my two fingers as I practice my fire bending one night in the garden.

"Your fire bending is noteworthy," a voice alerts me to stand in a defence position.

The figure walks out from the shadows. It is Fire Lord Zuko. I immediately bow.

"Thank you, my lord," I say. "I am sorry if I cause any ruckus."

"No, you didn't Aya," he answers, "Your fire bending skills looks very familiar. It reminds me of somebody I use to know."

"Who is it?" I ask even though I already know the answer. My mother was the one who taught me to fire bend. She taught me how destructive fire can be. She ingrained my mind that almost isn't good enough.

"It was someone I once knew long ago. She was considered a prodigy," Fire Lord Zuko says. "Who taught you to fire bend, Aya?"

"My mother."

"Then she must be skilled. She trained and raised you well. You're very loyal to Izumi and my family. Thank you."

I look down at my hands. I am not loyal at all. I am the exact opposite. These hands are intended to deeply strike down blue flames into the heart of the Fire Lord. Those blue flames plan to terminate the one who took away Mother's desired position. My determination is loyal to my promise, but my feelings are slowly betraying me. I hope my feelings won't betray Mother.


	2. Chapter 2

Laughter is heard throughout the garden from the royal family. I am leaning against the rail of a pond, observing Princess Izumi animatedly chatter with both of her parents. They are having lunch of rice porridge on a bench. You can easily tell they are a family by the appearances Izumi inherits from each of her parents. I can sence Fire Lord Zuko's joyful attitude when talking to his daughter. He plants a kiss on the top of her head even when she is 18 years old. Princess Izumi and I are both the same age. We have complete different roles, complete different experiences.

Eighteen was the age Mother gave birth to me. Nineteen years have passed since Mother ran away from this palace, from Fire Lord Zuko. I release a sigh as I bend my head to stare at the pond which is filled with numerous orange and red fishes.

I never thought I can be homesick. I miss my home, my old job and my parents. I been away from them for nine months. The only communication I have with them now is through letters. If I quit or get fired from this bodyguard job then Mother's ambition won't be fulfilled. That would mean I am no use to her.

My ears perk at the sound of Fire Lord Zuko's chuckles as he pinkie swear with his daughter at a bet she offered.

Seeing this makes me think of Father and Mother. I remember the last time I pinkie swear with Father.

" _Daddy, is that Mommy?" My five year old self pointed at the portrait that my father was painting. Father was painting a portrait of a woman. My eyes first landed at her gold eyes, to her plump lips and lastly, to the dark strands of hair that framed her face. I thought she looked very pretty._

" _Yes, that is Mommy," Father answered as he started to paint the background of the portrait pink. He halted his painting and laid the paintbrush on his desk._

" _Aya," he whispered silently while he turned his head to check if Mother was nearby his study room. That night Mother slept early due to her long fire bending practice._

" _What Daddy?"_

 _He leaned down into to me. "Will you promise not to tell anybody this if I tell you something? Especially Mommy?"_

 _I nodded._

" _Pinkie swear?" Father let out his pinkie to me. His tan skin contrasted to Mother's fair skin._

" _Pinkie swear." I wrapped my tiny pinkie around his until I broke away our contact._

" _Okay," he whispered to me. "In two days I will ask Mommy to marry me." I remember how my father grinned ear to ear with shyness when he confessed to me._

 _I had a giant, toothy smile simply because my father looked happy to me. At the age of five, I already knew that my parents had me out of wed lock. Farther told me the truth due to me noticing how certain adults looked at me differently compared to the other children in my hometown. Even when knowing this information I never once thought to think why they haven't married before._

" _Will there be a cake? What kind of dress will Mommy wear? Will I be a flower girl?" I asked endlessly._

 _Father chuckled. "Aya, when the time comes we will talk about it."_

 _He pulled his pinkie up to me. "Remember what we promise."_

 _I pulled out my pinkie and continued to smile at him. "Your secret is safe, Daddy."_

I sigh again. I am homesick. I miss my parents. Although missing my parents won't help me on my promise to Mother.

* * *

"Aya, let me braid your hair too," The Fire Nation Queen suggests to me after she finished braiding Princess's Izumi's dark hair. The three of us are all alone in Princess Izumi's room in this silent night.

I direct my gaze to the Queen. She looks at me so kindly with much sincere. She had a more serene, calm aura compared to Mother's first expression when meeting people.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry I am a mere bodyguard. Nothing more and nothing less," I decline.

"No, Aya, I insist," she says and smiles sweetly at me, "As the Queen this is an order."

"Come on, Aya, it's only us here," the Princess adds.

I am in no position to reject the offer from the Queen and Princess. Every little action I do could either strengthen or crumble my plan, my promise. When I untie my pony tail, my lengthy, thick hair flow down to my back as I walk toward the large bed where the Queen and Princess are sitting on.

The Queen continues to wear the same smile as she pats a spot in front of her. "Sit here."

I obey and she starts braiding my hair. My hair haven't been braided or decorated in accessories for so long. Since being a bodyguard my hair is fashioned in a ponytail and sometimes in a bun. Even my hair and appearance plays a role in this secret mission I pledge to achieve.

"Your hair is so beautiful, Aya. With your hair down you look like a princess than a bodyguard," the Queen compliments.

Mother also believes that my hair is beautiful. Mother used to tell me when fire bending not even one strand of hair should fall out of place. According to her, perfection leads to success.

The Queen proceeds to talk. "It has been one week since our Fire Lord's Birthday and I am still amazed at your dance performance. Sometimes I forget you were a professional dancer."

At first, everyone in the palace thought it was strange for a dancer to become a personal bodyguard for the Princess. I myself agree to this due to how both professions are completely opposite. If I am not the Princess's bodyguard then I would have still be doing something I passionately enjoy. I would be practicing dance moves instead of scheming a plot and deceiving people who were once part of my mother's life. If I haven't applied for this job then Mother's desire would endlessly swallow her up. Being a capable fire bender gave me the upper hand to be hired.

"Were your parents dancers too?" Princess Izumi asks.

"I am the only dancer in my family," I respond.

"It makes you have unique traits by having skills of a dancer and fire bender," the Queen joins in. "Come to think of it, Aya, you rarely mention your parents."

Yes, the Queen is right. I rarely mention my parents, let alone my mother. If I do so they will discover my true purpose of being here. They will become hostile and quickly disburse me and even track down Mother. I am limited to what I can say about her to these people. Failing this mission, despite my complicated feelings during these past nine months, would greatly disappoint Mother.

"As a bodyguard, there are not much opportunities to talk about my parents," I say.

"Then tell me anything about your parents right now," the Queen proposed. "After all, you are close to me and Izumi. I want to know more about you."

I may be close to the Princess, my cousin, who doesn't know we share the same royal blood, but not close enough for me to reveal too much of myself. As for the Queen, she is another distraction to get by the Fire Lord. The royal family offer me trust and gratitude contrast to how I fool them by my words and actions.

"My father is a painter who came from a line of business men," I confess.

"And your mom?"

I hesitate for a split second. I cannot reveal too much of Mother.

"Mother is a fire bender."

"Done," the Queen says and hands me a mirror.

I peer down into the hand mirror and examine my braid. The braid was in a long tail just like the Princess's.

"Thank you, Your Highness," I thank her.

The Queen's eyes travel back and forth between the Princess and I. "Aya, you and Izumi have the same gold color eyes," she comments.

I use a false smile as a reply to the Queen to simply hide the thoughts lurking in my mind.

She is right we have the same gold color eyes. These gold eyes are the only thing I have in common besides the blood I share with the royal family. Your Highness, these gold eyes of mine are supposed to be the last thing you see before I destroy this peaceful life you comfortably live in. I will destroy each person who comes in my way even when I feel remorse for my motives.

I am my mother's daughter who vowed to keep her promise. After all as a fire bender, Mother taught me how destructive fire can be.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Thank you for the reviews so far. They are all inspirational and appreciative. Plus, it helps me be aware of what I lack in writing. :)

I will reveal more of Aya's past, personality and how her parents met in future chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

"No, I am not forcing my daughter to be married against her will unless we have no chose," Fire Lord Zuko answers with a harsh tone from the throne he was sitting on.

"My lord, I apologize, but Princess Izumi is already of age," an adviser speaks with a shaking tone. "This will straighten her reputation for her nation if she marries the son of our top Fire Nation general. It will bring great honor."

"It will bring great honor?" Fire Lord Zuko's voice blasts hoarsely throughout the room. "So honor is greater than one's happiness?!"

From standing next to the entrance of the throne room and hiding myself from being visible, I can imagine Fire Lord Zuko's nostrils flare with the cold, icy stare of his. He always place Princess Izumi's happiness before his.

"B-but, my lord, I didn't mean to say it like that."

"Leave! Forget this whole conversation!"

In that instant, the figure of the adviser dashes straight out of the throne room with a terrified expression. Sweat streams his face from his nervousness. If Mother was the one sitting on the throne I believe Fire Lord Zuko's words are nothing, but sweet words compare to how threatening she can be.

"Zuko, you know you could be a little nicer to him," the Queen's voice is finally heard.

"Of course not. I won't sacrifice Izumi for this. I don't want Izumi to be forced to do something she doesn't want just because of honor. She doesn't need honor, she already has it."

"Zuko, I don't agree to this proposal of marriage for her either, but I think-"

"I want Izumi to marry who ever she wants. We are fortunate to marry each other and our friends, too, for marrying the ones they love. I don't want Izumi to be forced in an arrange marriage like how my mother's first marriage was. I don't want Izumi to have a loveless marriage with a broken family."

Silence engulf the throne room for a few seconds.

"Speaking of marriages," the Queen says cautiously, "I wonder if _she_ is married. She ran away when discovering your mother's second marriage and family."

"That I wonder too," Fire Lord Zuko's voice falls into sadness. "Azula had a complicated grasp on the idea of love…Maybe… most likely marriage is not a good path for her."

Fire Lord Zuko is wrong and right at the same. Mother did reveal it was hard for her to be linked to love. She said that she hated love once everything was stripped away from her. She hated love, but she longed for love from those she thought it would come naturally. She claimed she hated love before she was married although Father said she learned to love love.

"Do you think she has a lover?" The Queen asks.

"Be it a lover or someone she manipulates, I don't know."

Hearing this makes my body boil of anger, sadness, and an understanding from him. I can see why he views it as her lover or someone she toys with. The Fire Lord only knows my mother from the past. He doesn't know my mother right now. He doesn't know how Mother felt from the experiences she had when she was younger. Fire Lord Zuko doesn't understand Mother.

"Most likely marriage is not a good path for her," Fire Lord Zuko repeats.

At a time before Mother did believe marriage would do harm to her and me. I remember that morning.

 _I had just woken up and walked quietly to the door of my parents' bedroom. My five year old self remembered it was the day Father would proposed to Mother. I was full of giddiness and excitement._

 _The punitive, sharp tone of Mother's voice caused me to draw my hand away from the doorknob._

" _Like I said before I do not want to be married."_

" _Azula, we have lived together for six years now. We have a house together, we have a daughter together. Why can't we get married?" Father said pleadingly._

" _Why do you want to marry a monster who played you like a toy before? Why do you still deal with me even when you know who I really am?"_

" _Because I love that woman even when I found out she was using me to benefit from it. I loved you when all you wanted was to only manipulate my feelings. "_

" _Zen, you fool!" Mother's voice thundered like a violent storm. "You love a demon who hates love. You are a fool for loving me."_

" _Azula, I may be a fool for loving you," Father's voice raised, "but you are not a demon. I see how you grown to love love. Since I met you, you are more opened to affections. You love Aya and you love me too."_

" _Shut up! Marrying you is like a lightning striking at my chest. This marriage will hurt my daughter the most."_

" _Azula, you-"_

" _Leave!"_

 _The doorknob instantly turned to open the door. I immediately ran to the hallway to make it seem I have just woken up and didn't hear a slightest detail of their conversation. I was so confused to why Mother reacted like this. I knew how Mother could be cruel, but it sounded like she didn't want to love._

 _My eyes began to water as I let out a croak._

" _Aya, what's wrong?" Father asked with concern as he knelt down to wipe away my tears._

" _I…think… I heard something scary," I replied._

As I roam the halls of the Fire Nation Palace, my mind cannot steer away from the thoughts of marriage between my parents. When I was standing next to the throne room the royal couple wondered if marriage was not the right path for Mother. Mother believed marriage wasn't fitting for her due to her childhood experiences, but she said she would not regret marrying Father.

That same day when Mother rejected Father's proposal she vowed to marry him. She accepted his proposal when it was already dark out.

 _I woke up from my slumber to gather a drink of water in the kitchen and passed by the hallway where Father's study room was._

 _I heard their voices behind the closed door of the study room. I stood beside the door and carefully listened._

" _I will marry you."_

" _Azula, I'm not pressuring you to marry me. I just want you and Aya to be happy. If marriage is not what you want than that's fine."_

" _No, I will marry you. I want to marry you."_

" _Why are you changing your mind?"_

" _Zen, this is what you wanted."_

" _Azula, why are you-"_

" _You are right when you said I grown to love love and affections, but I still see myself as a monster, a demon."_

" _You are not. You are my daughter's mother. You are my love."_

 _Few seconds passed until Father proceed to speak._

" _You didn't want to marry me before and saying it was like lightning striking at your chest and hurting Aya."_

" _My parents' marriage caused me to be the person I am and I don't want Aya to have a broken family."_

" _That won't happen."_

" _I won't regret marrying you, but, Zen, I do not want another child. I don't want favoritism for only one child. I don't want Aya to feel like she is neglected by one of her parents. I don't want her to feel like she was never adored. I do not want her to endure the same pain I did."_

 _Footsteps were nearing the door. I tip toed as fast as possible back to my room as if I wasn't near the study room._

* * *

 **A/N:** Aya's father 's name is Zen.


End file.
